Signs of Friendship
by shahofblah
Summary: Blaine Anderson was born Deaf. After an unfortunate bullying incident at the end of his freshman year, he transfers to McKinley High. Sam Evans, another new student, is assigned to be one of Blaine's student scribes and they quickly become best friends. When Sam discovers Blaine's love of the piano, he encourages him to join the glee club.
1. Chapter 1

**Note**: Like with my last stories, this was first published on AO3. Now that I'm basically done with the _Searching_ series (unless I get more prompts, it's over), I've decided to publish this on . It's 10 chapters, and I'll be updating daily. Enjoy!

I know only a little about American Sign Language - I recently started teaching myself, but I'm not going to claim to be anything close to an expert or even marginally good. The text that is said to be signed pays no attention to the rules of ASL grammar, and I'm not even trying to describe what the gestures look like.  
In general, italicized text is either signed or written (I'll say which one), and if it's italicized and in quotation marks, it's both signed and said aloud.

* * *

Principal Figgins sat behind his desk on August 31st, the official first day of school at William McKinley High. This year was sure to be just as insane as last year, especially with Sue Sylvester's continuing weekly mood swings. He looked up when he heard his secretary welcome a mother and her son into the waiting room before his office. Looking back down to the file on his desk, Figgins sighed. This must be the Anderson kid. There were a lot of kids at McKinley that would make any sane principal want to quit his job and move far away, but even Noah Puckerman and David Karofsky seemed like they would be easier to deal with than Blaine Anderson. Not that Blaine had any sort of bad record. Quite the opposite, in fact. With the exception of an "incident" at a school dance – he was the victim, so it was by no fault of his own – his records were gleaming brighter than any student at McKinley's. He was only a sophomore, but Blaine was already taking advanced chemistry, precalculus, and physics. His grades from freshman year were all As – and all honors classes, too. No, that was definitely not the reason that Figgins was not looking forward to having Blaine Anderson at McKinley. He was not looking forward to having Blaine at his school because Blaine was Deaf.

According to the file, Blaine had been Deaf since birth and therefor also didn't speak. He had been attending Westerville High School, which actually had a bit more supportive of a program for Deaf students, but after the "incident" last year, that was no longer an option. Although there was a school for Deaf kids nearby, Blaine's family couldn't afford the tuition, so here he was at McKinley. Walking through Figgins' office door right now, actually.

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Anderson," he greeted the tall dark-haired woman who walked through his door.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face, Mr. Figgins," she said kindly, extending a hand in greeting. "This is my son, Blaine. I do hope that you'll be able to work things out for him here."

"Yes, well, that will be difficult. We do not have any sort of program in place at the moment, since Blaine will be our first Deaf student. However, we do have a supportive special education staff that is dedicated to helping the students in their care."

All the time that Figgins was talking, Mrs. Anderson was signing his words to her son. As soon as she reached the part about the "special education program" a sour look crossed his face. Quickly, he began signing back to his mother.

"Blaine and I both agree that he does not need to be in the special education program," she said. "I'm sure you've seen his grades, he is a remarkable student. I doubt that your special education staff is qualified to teach physics and calculus, as those are classes that he will be taking in his time here."

"Well, no, it's true that those teachers are trained for students with developmental and learning disabilities, but that is, unfortunately, the best that we can do."

"Can anyone here even sign?" Mrs. Anderson asked, although she was already sure of the answer.

"No."

Blaine's hands began moving in a flurry of activity again, and Mrs. Anderson nodded along, responded, and then turned back to Figgins.

"At Blaine's old school, one way that they helped him in classes that weren't part of the Deaf-education program was that he was assigned a buddy. The teacher would provide him with an outline of the notes for the day, and his buddy, another student enrolled in the class, would take notes to share with him. Blaine would, of course, be taking his own notes, but if the teacher ever say something while his back is to the class, there is no other way for Blaine to receive the information."

Figgins paused for a moment. It did sound like a good idea, and much cheaper than hiring a new staff member. Plus, he could petition the school board for extra money by citing the amazing work they were doing with their new Deaf student.

"I'll have to talk with teachers and students to make sure they are okay with this. In the meantime, however, Blaine will have to attend special education classes."

"Thank you Principal Figgins," Mrs. Anderson said, acknowledging that this was the best deal she was going to get for her son. "And also, if you wouldn't mind, could you keep Blaine's condition concealed for now? He doesn't want to stick out too much just yet."

"Of course. It was lovely meeting you."

* * *

Blaine's first week at McKinley was spent in frustrating silence. Not only did no one sign, leaving him to resort to lipreading and writing notes, but he was also stuck in the special education classes. Now, he had nothing against these other kids, and thought no less of them. They were all pretty cool in fact. But the fact that he was stuck trying to teach himself the basics of the first unit of physics with only the assistance of notes written by a woman who had been trained in helping mentally challenged children and hadn't taken physics since she herself was in high school was incredibly annoying. So he was thrilled when his mother told him that he was going to be integrated into the McKinley classrooms at the start of his second week.

Monday morning, he and his mother stood in Figgins' office with three other students. One was a blonde boy a few inches taller than Blaine, another was a girl who looked like she walked out of an Abercrombie ad, and the third was a slightly pudgy boy with shaggy hair.

"Alright students," Figgins began, "this is Blaine Anderson. He just started his sophomore year here at McKinley, and he will need some help with his classes. Each of you is in at least two classes with Blaine, so when that class rolls around, you will sit next to him in the front row and take very good notes to share. All your teachers have already been informed."

None of the students looked all that happy. They obviously hadn't been told why they were here.

"Blaine is Deaf, so he cannot hear you or the teachers, which is why he'll need your assistance. However, you are also not to spread information about this around school. Am I clear?"

They all nodded their heads, looking at Blaine curiously.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

The first boy stepped forward. "Um, can you read lips?" he asked.

Blaine smiled, nodded, and began signing. His mother translated. "He can, however it's very imprecise. Signing and writing are easier."

"Okay, well, my name's Sam Evans. I just started my sophomore year here, too."

Mrs. Anderson's hands flew as she translated. Blaine responded to her and she translated once again.

"Nice to meet you, Sam."

The girl introduced herself next as Erica, and the other boy was Tom. Blaine grinned at each of them nervously as he tightened his backpack straps.

Everyone in the office, except Blaine, jumped when the bell rang to signal the beginning of the day. Mrs. Anderson signed goodbye to her son as he followed Sam off to his first period history class.

Sam had a quick chat with Mr. Dunstan, the teacher, before he and Blaine took their seats. He shyly looked over at Blaine before pulling out a notebook and beginning to write. When he finished, he passed it over to the boy.

_Hey, my name's Sam, in case you forgot. Um, I don't really know why they wanted me to help you out because I'm not the smartest and I definitely don't pay attention a lot, but I totally will try to help you. But you're probably smarter than me, so you'll probably end up schooling me in this class. Mr. Dunstan writes pretty much everything he says on the board, so that's helpful._

Blaine grinned upon reading the note. He quickly began his response while the rest of the class filed in.

_Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate this. Figgins wanted to put me in special ed classes, and although those kids are nice, I really need a challenge in schoolwork. And thanks for trying with this whole note passing thing. It means a lot._

Sam smiled sadly at Blaine's words. He knew exactly how Blaine felt. Well, maybe not exactly, but he could sympathize. He and Blaine were both new kids trying to find a place to fit in. Blaine just wanted friends but had a communication barrier. Sam wanted popularity but had a nerdiness barrier.

_I know a lot of languages already – mostly useless ones like elvish and na'vi. Maybe you could teach me some sign? Whatever you and your mom were doing looked really cool._

Blaine's face brightened up when he read Sam's second message.

_Like from Lord of the Rings and Avatar? I love those movies! And the Tolkien books are awesome, too. Did you hear they're making a Hobbit movie?_  
_And I'd love to try to teach you sign, but it might be hard. I've never tried to teach anyone before._

Before Sam could respond, Mr. Dunstan was starting class and both boys began taking notes. After class, Sam walked Blaine to his next room where he met up with Erica. However, he also left a note with Blaine offering him a seat at lunch.

Blaine found Sam easily at lunch, and the boys held a written conversation. It was interrupted a few minutes in when a large group of kids who were all dressed alike began dancing and (presumably) singing in the courtyard. Sam was immediately distracted. He looked up and tapped along to the beat. Blaine just turned his head to his sandwich and tried to ignore how left out he felt.

* * *

After school that day, Blaine told his mother all about how he thought that he and Sam were going to be real friends. Mrs. Anderson was delighted to see her youngest son so happy, especially since she knew that smile would be wiped off his face when his father came home.

Mr. Anderson was not a bad man. He had been totally supportive of Blaine through all of his life, up until last year when Blaine came out to them. Suddenly, he had turned a cold shoulder to his struggling son and left the poor boy floundering on his own.

Blaine went up to his room to do his homework, but Mrs. Anderson heard the notes from the piano floating downstairs less than an hour later. She could still remember the day Blaine first announced that he wanted to play piano.

_Eight year old Blaine came barreling down the stairs._

_"Mommy, I want to be just like B-e-e-t-h-o-v-e-n," he signed, fingerspelling the name._

_"What, Blaine?" she asked, not able to read Blaine's quick letters._

_Blaine signed "One moment!" before running back upstairs. He came down a few moments later with a heavy book and pointed to an open page._

_"Although by the time renowned composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven was 30 his hearing had deteriorated to a point almost near Deafness, he continued to compose. Many critics believe that his best pieces came from this period."_

_"Please, mommy?" Blaine signed._

_Mrs. Anderson gave in._

_It had been difficult finding a piano teacher who would tutor a Deaf student, but eventually they found one. She was an older woman, in her fifties, who simply doted on Blaine. After only a year of study, he had progressed further than many of her hearing students. Blaine's obsession with the piano and music had only grown._

_Mrs. Anderson would often come home to find that the stereo was blasting at unreasonable volumes. Blaine would be found sitting in front of the speakers, eyes closed, feeling the vibrations of the bass. He loved to compare the vibrations of the different genres of music and try to guess what sort of music was playing. He was remarkably good, all things considered._


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine and Sam grew closer over the course of the first few weeks of school. Sam could now greet Blaine in sign and hold an incredibly basic conversation. But even those few small signs brightened up Blaine's day. He wasn't sure how he could explain how much it meant to him that Sam wanted to learn.

* * *

Sam was torn. He'd just made quarterback on the football team – the epitome of popularity in high school. But the guys expected him to sit with them at lunch. He wanted to climb the social pyramid, but he didn't want Blaine to be left behind. His new friend (best friend perhaps) picked up on this immediately.

_What's wrong? he wrote to Sam in first period._

_I made quarterback, and the guys want me to sit with them at lunch._

_That's great! You have to do it!_

_But where'll you sit at lunch?_

_At the same table as usual. Sam, I don't mind sitting alone. I'm pretty used to silence. Plus, we can hang out in class and outside of school, Blaine wrote._

_I just feel really bad, like I'm abandoning you._

_You're not. You have to do this!_

Sam reluctantly gave in, and felt horrible the first few days he saw Blaine alone at lunch. But by the time the first football game rolled around and they won, Sam started feeling less and less guilty. People he didn't even know were coming up to him in the halls and congratulating him, and he was finally popular. Of course, he still talked to Blaine in class like nothing had ever changed.

* * *

While Sam was off being a football star, Blaine decided to branch out on his own.

_"Mom? Can you help me with something at school tomorrow?"_ he signed after school one day.

_"Sure, honey. What's up?"_

_"I want to see if they have an orchestra or choir or something where they'd need a pianist."_

The next morning, they went to Figgins' office. Although there was no need for another pianist, Figgins did set Blaine up with a meeting with Brad, who played piano for the glee club and directed the musical ensembles at McKinley.

Blaine began spending lunches and after school hours with Brad. The man was not talkative at all, which worked perfectly for Blaine. Both could sit for hours, immersed in the music – or the vibrations, for Blaine.

* * *

And then Sam got sacked. His shoulder was dislocated, and he was sidelined for the rest of the season. He was devastated.

_Hey, at least you got to play. Anyway, the guys all seemed to really like you, so I doubt you're going to suddenly become a social pariah or anything,_ Blaine pointed out sympathetically the next day.

_Yeah, but now I can't even help you,_ Sam typed on his phone. _I can't write notes for you, so you're even more lost than you were before._

_...Which wasn't lost at all. Sam, I think I'm understanding more in this class than you, and I can't hear._

_So school isn't my thing. At least I was good at football. Now that's gone._

_Well, what about glee club? Didn't you say that they tried to get you to join at the beginning of the year?_

_I guess,_ Sam said reluctantly. _But they're not exactly cool, now are they?_

_So what? It looks like fun!_

_How about this: I'll join glee club if you come._

_Sam, I'm Deaf. I'm pretty sure I'm the last person they would want, even if they are desperate,_ Blaine pointed out.

_So play the piano for me. I've heard you, you're awesome. And I'm sure that Brad would welcome a break from them._

_...I guess._

* * *

And that's how Blaine and Sam ended up in the choir room after school. Sam stood in front of the room and nervously spoke to the club.

"So, I guess I want to join glee club if you guys are still looking for members. Blaine here convinced me to try out, and he's a wicked piano player, so I forced him to help me out." Sam clapped Blaine's back so that he knew he was being talked about. Blaine smiled faintly, but mostly studied his shoes.

"Well, we're always open for some new talent. Sam, Blaine, why don't you boys show us what you've got," Mr. Schuester said, clapping his hands together.

Sam tapped Blaine's shoulder and pointed back to the piano. Understanding the message, Blaine walked over. He and Sam made eye contact and Blaine began to play the opening notes to the Fray's _How to Save a Life_ when Sam made the signal.

When Blaine finished playing, he looked up and saw the gathered students clapping. He smiled at Sam in silent congratulations until the other boy pulled him up to take a bow as well.

"Wow, Sam, that was amazing! I think I speak for all of us when I say welcome to the New Directions!" Mr. Schuester gushed. "And Blaine, you were fantastic, too. Maybe you'd consider joining as our accompanist? Brad said he's been working with you and that you're quite talented. I'm sure he'd appreciate a break."

Blaine was reading Mr. Schuester's lips, but he had no way of responding. He shook his head and shot a panicked look to Sam.

"Oh, um, no, Blaine said he didn't want to join," Sam said quickly when he realized what had happened.

Blaine pulled out his phone and shot a quick message to Sam before running out of the room.

"Uh, he says thanks but no thanks," Sam said. "He's just really shy."

* * *

_I'm going to sit with the New Directions at lunch,_ Sam texted Blaine in first period, _wanna join me?_

_Sorry, Sam, but I don't really want people knowing about me. I got enough crap for that and the whole gay thing at my old school. I'd rather just lay low here._

_But the New Directions are totally cool. They aren't going to judge you or anything._

_I can't, Sam. You can go sit with them, but I'll just sit where I usually do._

* * *

Blaine was sitting by himself at his usual table when a person stood in front of him. He laughed to himself, thinking that Sam had changed his mind, but was surprised when he saw one of the boys from New Directions.

"...and even though you're not in the glee club, you can still sit with us. You don't have to sit alone," the boy said.

Blaine had been so distracted by his presence that he only was able to read about half of the boy's words. He tried shaking his head, hoping that would be enough, but the boy was determined. Since Blaine couldn't very well say anything, he let himself be pulled by the other boy and deposited at the glee club table.

Sam's eyes widened when he saw a very shell-shocked looking Blaine take a seat with Kurt Hummel.

"What are you doing here?" he mouthed.

_He pulled me over and I couldn't very well say anything,_ Blaine texted. He had been so focused on his phone that he didn't realize that a girl next to him was trying to talk to him until she poked him and he jumped.

Help me! Blaine texted before looking back to the girl.

"...new here?" she said. Blaine had missed most of her words again, so he ventured a guess and nodded.

"Where did you transfer from?" the girl asked.

"So Tina," Sam said loudly, drawing the girl's attention. "What homework did we have for English?"

Blaine shot a grateful smile to Sam before turning back to his lunch.

The two boys had art together after lunch and had a conversation about lunchtime.

_Can you try to keep them away from me?_ Blaine asked.

_Yeah, but they're pretty persistent. It might be nice for you to have other people who know._

_I have two other "buddies", remember? You're not in all my classes._

_I mean other friends. I've barely known them and they're already starting to get on my nerves – in a good way._

_We'll see._

* * *

Sam had been in the New Directions for a few days when the duet competition was announced. Kurt immediately asked him to be his partner.

"Sure," Sam said.

"I just want to make sure that I'm not going to get in the way of anything," Kurt said guardedly.

"In the way of what?" Sam asked, thoroughly nonplussed.

"You and Blaine."

"What about us?"

"There's nothing going on between you two?" Kurt asked.

"Of course not. Blaine's my friend. I've just been helping him out, since we both started new here."

"So you're not gay?" Kurt asked.

"What? No! I mean, I'm totally okay with that, but I'm definitely straight," Sam said.

"Oh," Kurt said sadly.

"Do I give off a gay vibe or something?" Sam asked. "I mean, this is the second time I've had this conversation!"

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

Sam realized that he had probably said too much. "Nothing. Just – someone else thought I might have been gay, but I told him I wasn't."

"Was it Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"I'm not going to betray someone's trust."

"Sam, Blaine's the only other person you ever hang out with."

"Kurt, can you please just leave this alone?"

"Yeah, Sam, but tell Blaine that he can talk to me if he's worried or anything. I had to deal with coming out here last year and it sucked. Or tell whoever it is," Kurt said with a knowing smile. "Oh, and you should definitely ask Quinn to duet with you. I see how you look at her, I was just – misinterpreting it before."


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: I am constantly floored by all the support my fics receive. Thanks for all the reviews, favs, and follows! I'd also like to add a quick special thanks to my own patronus who I absolutely love and who agreed to help look over all my fics (somewhere between a beta and a pre-reader, as she describes it). Check out her stuff too, it's beautiful.

* * *

_Please come to glee with me today?_ Sam texted Blaine.

_Sam, I've already told you..._

_You can sit with Brad and be silent. I'm doing my duet with Quinn, though, and it'd be cool if my best friend could be there._

_I won't even be able to hear it, Sam._

_You can sit by the band to feel the vibrations._

_Sam..._

_Please? Kurt was asking about you again. They all want you to sit with us at lunch._

_Fine. But you owe me!_

_I'll buy you a lifetime supply of ice cream._

* * *

Blaine followed Sam into the choir room after school with his phone clutched in his hand.

"Blaine, good to see you again," Mr. Schuester greeted.

Blaine smiled and nodded at the director before taking a seat near the band. When Sam and Quinn got up to perform their duet, he closed his eyes and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He could feel the vibrations of the music moving up through his feet. When the vibrations died away, Blaine opened his eyes again and began shaking his hands in silent applause.

Sam and Quinn took their seats again and Blaine high fived his friend. A few moments later, he felt numerous pairs of eyes on him. His phone vibrated at that moment.

_Rachel is accusing you of spying on us despite you being a student at McKinley. She wants to know why you won't sit with us at lunch but you'll come here now._

Blaine didn't know what to do. His instincts took over and he tried to explain his terror in the clearest way he knew how: sign language.

Blaine's hands began moving at a rapid-fire pace as he tried to explain himself and that he had to leave. He was out the door and in the hallway by the time he realized what he'd done.

Inside the choir room, the confused New Directions were flocking around Sam.

"What was that, Sam?"

"What's going on with Blaine?"

"Why won't he ever talk to us?"

"Guys, SHUT UP!" Sam finally shouted, losing his patience. "I need to go check on Blaine."

_You okay?_ Sam texted as he walked into the hall. He was surprised to find Blaine directly outside the door.

_I guess. Just a little frazzled. Signs just kinda pop out when I get nervous._

_They're all freaking out a little in there. I think Brittany thinks you're possessed, but she's always a little gullible._

_God, Sam, what should I do?_

_You could tell them. They're not going to mind. They already think you're pretty cool since I've been talking you up for ages._

_Really?_

_Of course. We're Blam, man!_

Blaine cracked a grin and nodded to Sam.

When they walked back in the room, Blaine and Sam stood before everyone else. While Blaine crafted a message to Sam on his phone, Sam began to speak.

"So, Blaine needs to tell you guys something, and we just need you to not freak out or anything. So please just listen to him – er, me – and wait it out."

When Sam finished talking, Blaine stuffed his phone in his pocked so he could talk clearly. Sam checked his phone before Blaine began.

_This is what I'm going to say to them, so I guess you can just read along or something? Not that I'll know..._

Sam nodded to Blaine and the shorter boy's hands started moving. A few seconds in, Sam began reading from his cell phone screen: "If you can't tell, I'm speaking sign language. I was born Deaf – I've never heard a sound in my life, and I don't speak either since I can't hear what I'm saying. I don't really want a lot of people to know here, so I'd appreciate it if you kept silent. No pun intended."

"You can't hear? How can you play the piano?" Rachel asked.

Sam was about to text Blaine the question when his phone buzzed with Blaine's response. "Beethoven," Sam read aloud, slightly confused.

His phone buzzed again and he read that aloud too. "I can also read lips. I still miss a lot, but it's better than nothing."

The New Directions giggled nervously, but were still curious. Thankfully, Brad was the one to jump in.

"Beethoven was able to keep composing even after he went deaf," Brad said.

The glee club was torn about which was most surprising – that Blaine was Deaf or that Brad had just spoken.

"Any other questions?" Sam read from his phone screen.

"What's it like?" Tina whispered reverentially.

Blaine spent a few minutes typing feverishly on his phone.

"It's normal for me. I've never been able to hear, so I don't know anything different. But it's very … difficult when I'm with hearing people who can't sign because then I feel trapped in my head. It's like there's this big black … thing in the back of my brain that I can sense, but I don't know what it's blocking. Even writing this is tough. Like it's sometimes harder for you to write down what you're feeling and you'd rather ramble and talk – I feel the same way, but there are even fewer people who would know what's going on."

Blaine shrugged when he could tell Sam was done reading.

"So that's why you avoided us? Because you're Deaf?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded.

"Why?"

Blaine texted Sam one last time.

"I'd rather not say just yet. It's a bit personal."

Blaine stood awkwardly for a moment longer before deciding that it was time for him to leave. He waved to the New Directions and walked to the front of school to wait for his mother.

He was sitting on a bench outside, reading To Kill A Mockingbird when a group of boys approached him.

Blaine, of course, could not hear their approach or the taunts that they threw at him. But they didn't know that.

"Aw look, if it isn't the new dweeb," Azimio said to his friends.

"Isn't that cute, doing his homework like the little bitch that he is," Karofsky added.

Blaine made no indication that he noticed their presence.

"Hey, new kid, I'm talking to you!" Azimio shouted in frustration. He was used to being feared by the other students, not ignored.

The boy didn't look up, however, until he was surrounded. They both reveled in the joy of watching his expression fall from curiosity to fear.

"Yeah, that's right," Azimio goaded. "You better be scared."

"You know, I think we ought to teach the new kid all about how this school works," Karofsky suggested to his friend conversationally.

Azimio grinned. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

Blaine, from his seat below the two hulking football players, only managed to catch about half of what they had said. But judging from their expressions, he knew that whatever was coming wasn't good.

Azimio reached forward and roughly grabbed Blaine's shoulder. The smaller boy struggled as he was pulled to his feet, trying to get away. A few small, strangled noises escaped from his mouth, unheard by his own ears.

"Aw, listen to him whimpering like a little bitch," Karofsky laughed.

Blaine's hands were shaking, but he tried to lift them – whether to speak or protect himself, he wasn't sure. Karofsky and Azimio, however, interpreted the raised hands as a sign that Blaine was trying to fight back. Immediately, they grew rougher, pushing him to the ground. Blaine tried to get up, but he was pushed right back down, landing roughly and scraping the palms of his hands.

_Not again_, he thought in a panic.

Azimio aimed a sharp kick at Blaine's side, eliciting a strangled wail to fall from Blaine's mouth, when he was roughly pulled back.

Blaine blinked up, surprised that his attackers had ceased, and even more surprised when he saw why. Finn, Puck, and Mike were wrestling the two large football players while Sam was running to Blaine's side.

_Blaine_, he signed, one of the few words that he knew.

Still, the comfort of his own language helped to calm Blaine down.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, in a broken mix of signs and words which Blaine read on his lips.

Blaine shrugged. He lifted his hands to sign, but realized that no one would understand. Finally, he settled on one word that he knew Sam would recognize. _Thanks_.

Sam extended a hand to help pull a still shaking Blaine up from the ground. Behind them, Puck, Finn, and Mike were shouting at Karofsky and Azimio. Sam guided Blaine a few feet away where Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel, and Tina were waiting and pulled out his phone to text Blaine.

_Did they hurt you?_

_No,_ Blaine texted back,_ not bad at least. I've had worse. At least I know that they're not discriminating because I'm Deaf or anything._

When the boys were done taking care of Karofsky and Azimio, they came back over.

"Is he okay?" Finn asked, panting lightly.

Blaine rolled his eyes. He hated that people who couldn't sign always talked as if he wasn't there. Thankfully, Sam seemed to understand Blaine's irritation.

"Ask him," Sam told Finn pointedly. "Just because he can't hear doesn't mean that he can't understand you."

Finn flushed slightly. "Sorry man. Dude, are you okay? They didn't get you too bad or anything, right?"

Blaine shook his head and gave Finn a thumbs up.

"Okay, cool," Finn said.

They stayed with Blaine until his mother drove up. She looked confused when she saw the large group of kids surrounding her son, so she parked the car and got out.

_What happened?_ she signed.

_A couple of guys were messing with me, but my … friends stopped them,_ Blaine told her.

Her face brightened when she saw the sign for "friend" and then her eyes landed on Sam.

"Sam, right?" she said. "It's nice to see you again. Thanks so much for helping Blaine out in his classes."

"Oh, it's no problem, Mrs. Anderson. Blaine's a really cool guy. He's even trying to teach me to sign!"

Blaine kept looking between his mother and his friend, trying to keep up with their conversation. When Mrs. Anderson saw his confusion, she quickly interpreted for him. _It was nothing like at Westerville, right, Blaine?_ she added at the end, referring to the incident.

_No, no, of course not,_ he assured her, shaking his head violently. _No one here knows anything except Sam._

"Alright, well thank you for looking out for Blaine, all of you," Mrs. Anderson said, addressing the gathered crowd of New Directions. "He had some trouble at his old school, and it's nice to know that there are people who care about him here."

Face burning in shame that he needed his mother, Blaine crawled into the front seat of the car and waved goodbye to his friends.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Sam forced Blaine to sit with him and the New Directions at lunch.

_Please, dude, we really want you to sit with us. And they all know you're Deaf so it won't be awkward like last time._

Blaine rolled his eyes and nervously followed his friend over to the glee club's cafeteria table. He ended up sitting next to Kurt, who tapped him on the arm to get his attention.

_"Hi Blaine, how are you?"_ Kurt said and signed sloppily.

Blaine's face lit up.

"Sam taught me," Kurt said. "But that's all I know."

_That's okay,_ Blaine wrote in a notebook,_ it's really cool that you're trying!_

_Are you okay after yesterday?_ Kurt wrote back, opting to write rather than speak so Blaine wouldn't feel so left out.

_Yeah. I'm a little bruised, but I've dealt with worse._

_Karofsky and Azimio can be really awful. Try to watch out for them in the halls – they like to locker check you if you're not careful. But I'm sure someone from the glee club will watch out for you too._

_Locker check?_

_They'll come up behind you and slam you into the lockers. Now that you're hanging out with the glee club, it's more likely that that'll happen. Of course, you probably don't have too much to worry about as long as you stay below the radar._

_Doesn't seem like that's going to happen if Sam keeps making me hang out with you guys._

_At least we're amusing :)_

* * *

Blaine went to glee club after school again that day, and took over for Brad as accompanist. It was a little difficult at first since Rachel expected to be able to simply walk to the front of the room and shout, "Hit it!" at Blaine. It had taken a bit of explanation to prove to her that he was not a mind reader like Brad, nor could he read her lips when she wasn't looking right at him.

Rachel had sighed and gone along with Blaine for the day, but she found him the the hallway the next day.

"This is a list of all the songs I want to sing in glee club over the next few days," she'd explained slowly. "They're numbered, so I'll hold up the corresponding number of fingers and then you'll play it, okay? Brad should have all the sheet music."

Another obstacle was the sheet music. Brad really was better than anyone gave him credit for. He could play any song in the glee club's entire bizarre songbook without sheet music, simply because he had heard it before. Blaine, however, did not have that luxury. If Blaine was going to continue with the glee club, impromptu numbers could not involve the piano anymore.

He hated that he was making things so difficult for the club, but Sam assured him that no one minded.

_You're a really cool guy and we all like that you're hanging out with us! Don't worry if Rachel throws a diva fit about the sheet music or whatever, according to everyone else she's always like that._

So Blaine fell into place with the glee club.

* * *

A few days later, Blaine was walking to lunch when he saw Kurt get shoved roughly into a locker. The books that the older boy had been carrying fell out of his arms and scattered across the ground. Rather than helping him, the other students stepped on and around Kurt's possessions.

Blaine hurried forward and picked up Kurt's last folder and book before handing it to the boy. He held his thumb in a down, sideways, and up position, asking Kurt if he was okay.

Kurt laughed a little at the gesture and held his thumb between the sideways and up positions. Blaine smiled and followed him to the cafeteria.

When they sat down, Blaine pulled out his notebook.

_Why do you get picked on more than anyone else in glee club?_

_Because I'm proud of who I am, and I don't let them get under my skin._

_?_

_I'm gay. The only out kid at this school. I've kind of got a giant pink sparkly target tattooed on my forehead._

Blaine looked up at Kurt, completely thunderstruck. Kurt, unfortunately misinterpreted Blaine's expression.

"Oh my God, you're just like them, aren't you?" he said out loud, drawing the attention of the rest of the table. "You're just as narrow-minded and homophobic as the rest?"

Blaine's eyes widened even more as Kurt turned away from him, so he turned to Sam with pleading eyes for help. Blaine could sense that the rest of the glee club was getting ready to kick him to the curb, so he quickly began writing.

Above Blaine's head, Sam grabbed Kurt's arm. "Kurt," he said, "it's not like that. Blaine's not homophobic. The idea of bullying just freaks him out, he had it rough at his old school. Just listen to him, okay?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, but turned back to the curly haired boy just in time to see him looking up from a messy paragraph scrawled in the notebook. His eyes looked desperate and pleading as he slid it towards Kurt.

_I'm not homophobic, Kurt, I swear. I'm gay, too. At my old school … the other kids there were fine with me being Deaf. There were a couple of other kids who were hard of hearing, too, so the whole school was pretty open to that. Plus there were others – teachers and students – who signed. But when I came out, they turned on me. They didn't care that I couldn't hear them coming or call out for help. I got beat up pretty bad, just for being gay. I just thought - hoped - that things might be different here. Even so, I still didn't want anyone to know - that I'm gay or Deaf. Please understand._

Kurt felt completely awful as he looked back at Blaine. He tried to smile, to show that he wasn't annoyed with the other boy, before beginning to write his own response.

_Blaine … I am __so__ sorry I jumped to conclusions. I know this isn't much of an excuse, I should have had more faith in you, but the kids here can be cruel, and I'm used to being hated once people discover my orientation. I am truly sorry that you had to go through any sort of bullying. You are the last person on this earth who anything bad should happen to – you always are able to remain so positive despite all the crap that life has thrown at you. I really admire that about you. I wish I could be more like that._

Blaine smiled at Kurt, face full of relief that he hadn't lost one of his new friends. The atmosphere at the lunch table also seemed to deflate when it became obvious that Kurt was okay with Blaine.

* * *

Sam grinned when he saw Kurt begin to read Blaine's note, glad that he had been able to mediate the incident before it got out of hand.

"Why are you so happy?" Quinn asked from her seat next to him.

"I don't know if I should tell."

"Come on, I'm your girlfriend. You can trust me with anything."

"Well, you know that Blaine's like my number one bro, right?"

"Of course. Kurt totally thought you two were together at first," Quinn said.

"Well, Kurt was half right. Ish," Sam said.

Quinn merely shot him a really confused look.

"Blaine's gay. And he's also been totally crushing on Kurt. Not that he told me the second part, but I've seen how he looks at him."

Quinn squealed in delight before Sam quickly quieted her down. "Shh! I don't know how many people he wants to know. He was totally out at his old school, but he had some trouble with it and wanted to keep that – and his Deafness – quiet here."

"Of course," Quinn said. "My lips are sealed."

* * *

A few days later, Kurt and Blaine were passing notes in the back of glee while Mr. Schuester began to talk about their sectional's competition.

_What's wrong? You seem really quiet. Well, obviously everyone's quiet to me, but you're … subdued_, Blaine wrote.

_Do you remember Dave Karofsky_? Kurt responded.

_How could I forget?_

_Right. Well, he seems to have made it his mission to make my life miserable. I try to brush it off, but it just keeps getting harder. And no one seems to notice either, except you. How did you deal with it?_

_Honestly? It was really easy to ignore most of it for me. Once I stopped looking up when I walked around the halls, I couldn't read their lips. That cut out half of the bullying. And kids were a bit hesitant to push me around because I can't hear and teachers were more likely to punish them more severely for picking on the Deaf kid. But when things got really bad at the end of the year … I ran, Kurt. And that is something I regret every day. I mean, I'm thrilled that I came here and met you and Sam and everyone, but I wish I had stood up to my bullies._

_Do you think I should do that? Stand up to Karofsky?_

_Talk to him. See if you can't change his mind. No offense, but I don't think you could take him in a fight, so you should probably try to steer the confrontation away from that. It's what I wish I would have – __could__ have – done._

* * *

Blaine regretted his words when he got a panicked text from Kurt after school the next day. Somehow, he knew it was about Karofsky, even though all Kurt had said was, _"Can you meet me at the Lima Bean after school since there's no glee today?"_

He met Kurt there, and the older boy went up to retrieve the coffee orders, which Blaine insisted on paying for even though he couldn't actually order them. Kurt was pale and drawn when he sat back down.

_Are you okay? _Blaine signed, knowing it was a phrase the Kurt could identify.

Kurt hesitated, then shook his head.

_What happened? _Blaine wrote before passing the notebook to Kurt. This moment, more than any other, made him wish that he could hold a conversation like any other normal person.

_I took your advice. I tried to talk to Karofsky. But he didn't want to talk. He - he kissed me, Blaine._

That was completely unexpected, and Blaine's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he read the words.

_I am so sorry, Kurt. I never should have told you to confront him._

_No, Blaine, it's not your fault. I'm sure it would have come to a head sooner or later. I'm just - shaken up, I guess._

_At least now, you have the power._

_How do you mean?_

_Well, you know his secret. And judging from how everyone else in the school treats you, he doesn't want it getting out._

_I'm not going to __out __him, Blaine. That's just cruel._

_That's not what I'm suggesting, Kurt. I'm just saying that now you know what his deal is, you can try to facilitate peaceful confrontations. He's not going to beat you up if he thinks you'll snap and tell the whole school._

_You really think it'd be a good idea to talk to him again?_

_Well, not alone. I'll go with you. I know I'm not exactly much help when it comes to conversation, but I can be very good moral support._

_Thank you, Blaine._

_Anytime. What are friends for?_

By the time the conversation had reached a stopping point, both boys' coffees stood forgotten and cold as they grinned nervously across the table at each other.


	5. Chapter 5

The confrontation with Karofsky went just as well as could be expected, but Karofsky did seem to lay off Kurt after that.

Blaine also began spending more time with the glee club at school, and felt a sort of kinship with the other teens, even if he wasn't aware of what was going on about half of the time.

Glee club was just letting out on a Friday afternoon. Most of the boys were grouped together, talking about something, while Kurt and the girls seemed to be making plans to go to the mall. When Finn realized that Blaine was on his own, he walked up to the shorter boy and slowly asked, "Dude, can you play video games?"

Blaine laughed. _I'm Deaf, not blind,_ he signed out of habit. When he saw Finn's confused look he remembered his phone and sent the same message to Finn.

_Want to come by my place tonight? We're doing a Halo marathon all night long._

_Sure! What's your address?_

Finn texted Blaine the details. Blaine's hands were practically twitching with excitement as he waited to tell his mother all about his plans to hang out with the guys.

* * *

As Blaine grew closer to the other members of the club, they grew more frank and candid around him.

"So, like, can you talk?" Santana bluntly asked Blaine over limp french fries and overcooked burgers at lunch one day.

"Santana!" admonished Kurt. "That's incredibly rude!"

"What? It's just a question. We all know he can make noises at the very least, you said that he shouted or something that day Karofsky and Azimio got him, and we've all heard small grunts and whines occasionally."

Kurt just shook his head at the girl who was now looking at Blaine expectantly again.

Blaine hesitated a moment before nervously nodding his head.

"Wait, really? You can talk?" Sam asked, shocked that he didn't know this about his best friend.

This caught the attention of everyone else at the table who watched as Blaine raised his hands and tilted them side to side, as if to say "kinda." He pulled out his notebook and began to furiously write, then passed it to Sam.

"When I was 5 or 6, my parents took me to a speech therapist who specialized in helping Deaf people. She taught me how to move my mouth to form the words and stuff, and I tried actually talking. But I couldn't hear myself, and I didn't know what the words were supposed to feel like. I tried talking around home and even at the playground, but the other kids laughed at me for slurring and poor pronunciation. So I stopped talking. I prefer to talk with my hands anyway."

Sam looked up when he finished reading. "That's tough, man."

Blaine shrugged.

"I know it's not even close to the same thing, Blaine," Tina said, "but I used to stutter to hide. Once I stopped stuttering and I embraced my own voice, I felt so much better."

_I have embraced my voice,_ Blaine wrote in the notebook. _It's just not a voice that comes from my mouth, but from my hands instead. I can still talk and make music, just like all of you. _

"Well, I think you should learn how to talk," Santana said.

Blaine's eyes widened and he shook his head furiously.

"Why not? We're all learning to sign for you. It's basically the same thing."

"No, it's not," Blaine wrote for Sam to read aloud. "It'd be the same if you were blind and I asked you to sign. You wouldn't be able to see what I was doing or what you were doing, but I'd still expect it to be perfect. That's what making a Deaf person talk is like. It's hard enough being gay and Deaf in high school, I'd rather not add 'kid with the weird speech impediment' to the list."

Santana looked like she was about to argue, but was silenced by a poisonous look courtesy of Kurt.

* * *

The New Directions took a break from preparing for sectionals to prepare for Kurt's dad and Finn's mom's wedding. Blaine was asked to play piano for the ceremony and some of the reception, which he readily agreed to. Brad, of course, would also be there to take requests.

Blaine had more fun than he thought was possible as he messed around with his friends. Even though he couldn't hear the music, it was loud enough that he could feel the beat. He joined his friends as they danced together, and was even better than Finn who had the advantage of actually being able to hear the music.

He was also incredibly excited when Kurt asked him to dance one of the slow dances. Although both boys claimed that it was because they were both dateless and good friends, Blaine couldn't help but feel something more.

* * *

Blaine was beyond shocked when he sat in the audience at sectionals and watched the New Directions perform. It had been decided that he wouldn't play the piano this time, just because he wasn't used to the group quite yet, and the competition dynamic is so unpredictable.

But then the curtains opened and he saw his friends dancing and singing. He was especially proud of Sam, who had a solo with Quinn again. Blaine was positive that it was amazing, if the expressions of the other audience members was anything to go by. Next came Santana's solo, which Blaine enjoyed most of all - not because of the song, however. But it was the most visual number thanks to Mike and Brittany's amazing dancing. He was able to follow the beat and energy of the song easily without having to hear.

Last, was the surprise. He'd played and watched the song a few times in rehearsal, but the New Directions had obviously been holding back. When they launched into the chorus of Katy Perry's _Firework,_ each member stopped moving and instead lifted their hands in one motion. As they sang, led by Kurt, of course, they fuidly signed the lyrics. Tears sprung to Blaine's eyes as he realized what lengths his friends must have gone to in order to pull this off.

He was the first one standing to applaud when the song ended, and he raced back stage to greet and thank them afterwards.


	6. Chapter 6

Blaine was walking down the hallway when he noticed the two hulking forms of hockey players coming towards him with huge cups in front of them. He knew what was coming, it had been described to him by the glee club plenty of times before, but that still didn't prepare him for the impact when it happened.

"Welcome to the glee club, bitch!" Rick Nelson shouted at Blaine.

Blaine, obviously, had not heard Rick's words. He curled in on himself as the cold, sticky liquid dripped down his front. He tried to open his eyes, to get a sense of his bearings and find a way to a bathroom, but they stung painfully any time he tried to open them.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Completely blind and deaf to the world around him, Blaine jumped backwards and curled in even more. He may have even cried out; he wasn't sure of anything anymore, however.

Sam had been just down the hall from Blaine when it happened. As soon as he saw his friend get hit, he rushed to his aid, ignoring the laughing jocks above him.

"Blaine!" he called, knowing that the other boy couldn't hear him, but feeling like he had to do something. He placed his hand in what he hoped was a comforting manner on Blaine's shoulder, but Blaine jumped back as if he had been electrocuted and let out a garbled yell.

Sam didn't know what to do to help Blaine. He couldn't get the boy's attention without potentially hurting him more; his eyes were closed to ward off the sting of the corn syrup and he was even more afraid of every other person in the hall than usual.

So instead, he decided to go after Rick and his friend.

"What the fuck do you think you're playing at?" he shouted after the two retreating mulleted boys.

"Just showing the new glee club freak his place," Rick said with a casual grin.

"He can't hear you, you jackass! That's just playing dirty!" As soon as the words left Sam's mouth, he realized his mistake.

"What are you talking about, Evans? Is the new kid Deaf?" When Sam gave no response, Rick assumed the truth. "Oh, this is even better than I thought. You glee losers are so desperate and awful that you can only get a Deaf kid?" He and his buddy turned down the hall, laughing all the way.

Cursing himself for his mistake, Sam turned back to Blaine, who had managed to wipe the syrup from his eyes. He was now frozen, leaning against some lockers, and the object of the gazes and whispers of most of the students in the hall. Blaine's hands were moving at the speed of light, and Sam could make out a few signs that he knew, repeated over and over. "_Please don't hurt me. Please, please, please."_

Sam stood directly in front of Blaine and, ignoring the comments and jibes, grabbed Blaine's hands in his own and slowly and clearly said, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. Close your eyes, it'll help the sting. I can lead you."

Blaine nodded and allowed Sam to help him up and begin the walk to the bathroom. With his spare hand, Sam pulled his cell phone from his pocket and quickly composed a text to Kurt.

**sos. meet me in the english hall boys bathroom asap!**

* * *

Kurt was confused when he got Sam's text, but he made his way over to the English hallway. The sight he was greeted with when he entered the bathroom was one he had never hoped to see.

Sam was standing behind Blaine as the curly haired boy ducked his head under the faucet. Red food dye was splattered over his polo and matted in his hair.

"What happened?" Kurt asked, even though it was plainly obvious.

"A couple of hockey guys got him. I also may have accidentally let slip that he's Deaf, and I don't know how to tell him."

"What?" Kurt screeched.

"Well, I was really pissed, and he couldn't see because the dye was in his eyes. At least we can hear who's coming when the dye gets in our eyes, but he was totally freaking out! I didn't know what to do, and he wouldn't let me touch him because he didn't know it was me, so I just flipped out on them and it sorta just … slipped out."

Blaine lifted his head from under the faucet and looked like a puppy that had been caught in the rain. Kurt couldn't help but think that he was absolutely adorable.

"Here," he said kindly, even though Blaine couldn't hear him. Kurt pulled a soft towel and extra shirt from his bag, glad that he'd remembered to bring them.

Blaine shyly took them and cleaned himself off. When he returned the towel to Kurt, it was obvious that his eyes were still stinging, if the red, irritated nature of them was any indication.

"Do you want to go to the nurse to rest your eyes for a while?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shook his head and gave Kurt a halfhearted thumbs up.

"Hey, Blaine, I have to tell you something," Sam said when it became obvious that Blaine wasn't permanently damaged.

Blaine mimed texting on a cell phone, so Sam pulled his out and texted Blaine.

_I'm really sorry man, but I was so pissed at those stick heads for slushieing you that when I shouted at them, I didn't pay attention to what I was saying and I kinda let it slip that you can't hear._

Blaine's eyes widened slightly in fear, but he responded kindly._ It's okay. I'm sure everyone would have found out eventually. And if I remember, I was the one sitting on the side of the hall and signing like crazy, so I may have told everyone all on my own._

Sam looked instantly relieved when he got Blaine's message, but still a bit guilty.

"Class is going to be over soon anyway," Kurt said, making sure that Blaine could see his lips. "Want to just go straight to the cafeteria?"

Blaine nodded. He felt a little ashamed that he had reacted so badly to the slushie. The other glee kids had been slushied plenty of times, and no one had needed to be forcibly dragged to the bathroom to clean off or skip class. _Thanks_, he signed to his friends.

When the rest of the New Directions joined Sam, Kurt, and Blaine in the cafeteria, they explained what had happened. The girls all crowded around Blaine and fussed over him until he assured them that he was okay. About halfway through the meal, once Blaine had been left mostly alone, he felt something hit the back of his head. Bending over to investigate, he saw a crumpled up wad of paper. Blaine felt a sinking sensation in his stomach as he opened it and read over the words on the page:

_hey retard, go back where u came from. no one wants u here. get ur ears fixed and act like the rest of the world, freak._

Blaine's eyes welled up at the words on the page. He turned around to see if he could find the culprits; it wasn't difficult - there was a group of jocks laughing and pointing at him. He crumpled up the note in his hand and turned back to his lunch. But Blaine wasn't hungry anymore. All he really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry.

Kurt seemed to sense the change in Blaine's mood. He tried getting the boy's attention, but Blaine wouldn't turn to face any of his friends and risk them seeing the tears that were starting to fall. Finally, Kurt grabbed Blaine's chin and tilted his head towards him. Immediately, a look of deepest concern crossed Kurt's face.

"What's wrong?" he mouthed.

Blaine shook his head and raised his hands to dry his eyes, forgetting the wad of paper clutched in his fist.

"What's this?" Kurt asked, grabbing it without waiting for Blaine to answer.

As his eyes scanned the page, his expression grew darker. He let out a disgusted scoff and threw the paper on the table where others could see it. "I am going to kill those idiots," Kurt growled.

Puck, Finn, Kurt, Mike, and Sam all stood up, looking livid and ready for a fight. Panicking, Blaine began signing wildly, making sure to choose ones he knew his friends could recognize.

_No! Please, don't! Please!_

"Why not, Blaine? They can't get away with doing that to you," Sam said.

Blaine just looked at his friends with puppy dog eyes, trying to convey every thought through a simple glance.

"At least let us tell Mr. Schue or Principal Figgins or someone!" Mike offered.

Blaine shrugged and wrote. _How is this any different from what Karofsky was doing to Kurt? Or what they'd also do to me if they knew I was gay?_

Everyone shifted uncomfortably as Blaine pointed it out.

"Because, dude, it's like... you can't even tell they're coming. This is like, a disability, not just something about you," Finn reasoned.

Blaine knew Finn's heart was in the right place, but he hated it when people talked like he was disabled. He was perfectly able to do everything everyone else did! It was a choice to not! The expressions that crossed his face was a mixture of hatred and hurt.

_It's __not__ a disability! _he scrawled on a piece of paper, tossing it to the table and walking away.

* * *

Blaine went to the nurse from lunch, and ended up having to spend a good fifteen minutes trying to explain everything to her. She eventually understood and called his mother, who promised to pick him up as soon as she was able.

As soon as Blaine had left his note and stormed away, the rest of the glee club looked mollified. Somehow, all their gazes ended up directed to Artie, the only member of the group who could relate to Blaine on some level. Or so they thought.

"Hey, don't look at me," Artie said, holding up his hands defensively. "I used to be able to walk and run and dance and stuff, and now I can't. I call that a disability. But Blaine... he could never hear. I think for him, it's just another part of him. Like, having blue eyes isn't seen as a disability even though technically it's a genetic mutation."

"But I didn't mean it like that!" Finn protested. "I was only saying that we talked about it differently because, I don't know, like Sam said, he was totally cut off from the world when he couldn't seen."

"But he doesn't want us to treat him differently because of it. Just like Kurt doesn't want to be treated differently because he's gay, right Kurt?" Artie reasoned.

Kurt nodded. "Do you think someone should go talk to him?" There was a pause. "Okay, bad choice of words. But should someone go see if he's okay?"

"I'll go," Artie offered. When both Kurt and Sam looked like they were about to protest, Artie spoke up again. "Guys, as much as Blaine doesn't think of his Deafness as a disability, I still am the one who can best understand his situation. Kurt, does being gay keep you from actually physically being able to do something? No. But my legs and his ears ... they do."

With that, Artie rolled away.

* * *

Artie rolled to the nurse's office, sure that that was where Blaine had stalked off to.

"Hey Mrs. Port. Is Blaine Anderson here?" Artie asked. "He seemed pretty upset when I saw him earlier and I wanted to make sure he's okay."

"Yes, he just checked in and his mother should be arriving soon. Do you want to go ta- see him?"

Artie nodded and ignored Mrs. Port's slip as he followed her to the clinic door.

* * *

When Blaine first saw the pane of light from the open door, he assumed that his mother was there to pick him up. He sat up eagerly until he saw that it was Artie who rolled in.

"_How are you feeling?"_ Artie spoke and signed.

Blaine shrugged.

_Finn didn't mean to insult you. He's not the brightest, but he is sincere, _Artie wrote, changing medium for conversation since he didn't know much more sign language.

_So they sent the other disabled kid to talk to me? _Blaine asked, face bitter as he passed the notebook back to Artie.

_No, I __wanted__ to talk to you. Plus, I agree with you, you're not disabled. __I__ am, but that's because I haven't always been in my chair._

_But you guys still treat me different because I can't hear._

_Not really. I mean, you isolate yourself by not talking. I'm not saying that you should start talking out loud, but it's your choice to limit means of communication._

_So you're saying this is my fault? You know, I was doing a __great__ job managing until you guys forced me to join you._

This was not going the way Artie had intended.

_No_, Artie wrote, _I'm saying that you shouldn't be so hard on him - on all of us. Explain yourself. Help us understand why you don't want our protection._

Blaine looked mildly guilty as he wrote his next statement.

_I just want you guys to treat me like everyone else. Like I'm ... normal._

_We're trying, Blaine, really hard. But it's not going to come easy to everyone. I can't make many cold, hard promises, but I will say this: different is something that the glee club is intimately familiar with and we're good at looking past differences to see the person inside. Don't disregard us just yet, and we'll all work on ignoring your Deafness, or whatever you want._

The bell must have rung because Artie looked up and fidgeted nervously. Blaine smiled at him and signed a quick _Thanks_ before Artie wheeled away.

Blaine's mother arrived an hour later and fussed over him for the rest of the afternoon. When he went to bed, he felt slightly guilty about his actions towards his friends and apprehensive about what school would be like now that everyone knew.


	7. Chapter 7

To say Blaine was nervous for school was an understatement. He feared that it was going to be just as bad as the day he came out at Westerville - ostracization, shoves, and disgusted looks.

He could feel the stares as he walked through the hallway. That was one advantage - or perhaps disadvantage - of being Deaf. All his other senses, especially his "sixth sense," were heightened. No one dared to approach him though, for which he was greatly thankful. Blaine knew that their reluctance to approach him would soon wear off, so he took advantage of the time he had.

Sam was waiting nervously for him in first period, note already prepared.

_Dude, are you okay?_

_I'm fine, Sam, thanks._

_I mean, after all the stuff yesterday. Artie said you guys talked, but he wouldn't say what it was about._

_We just talked, Sam. And I mean it - I'm fine. I'm a little embarrassed for stalking off like that yesterday, but otherwise I'm fine._

_Good. I missed hanging out with you in art. It was super boring yesterday._

* * *

Blaine's window of opportunity expired Friday morning when he was roughly shoved into his locker as he tried to open it. He turned around quickly and saw Karofsky and a few other football players walking away.

Karofsky turned around and slowly mouthed, "Sucks to suck, loser!" at Blaine before laughing with his friends and turning the corner.

Blaine sighed and pulled his book from his locker. Today was going to be a long day.

Tina fell into step with him halfway down the hall, and they walked to their precalculus class together in silence. He knew that she was doing this mostly for his protection, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless. She had also taken over as his scribe in the class, so they sat together and passed notes while the teacher tried to explain tangents, sines, and cosines. He knew that he was going to regret not paying attention as soon as he got home, but he couldn't bring himself to care in the moment.

There was no glee club, so Blaine went to his locker after last period perpared to pack up and take the bus home. He was stopped in his tracks, however, when he saw an angry word scrawled in red on his locker.

_RETARD._

Tears sprung to Blaine's eyes as he stared ahead at the words. He turned away, not even bothering to open his locker, and locked himself in a bathroom stall.

* * *

Kurt and Rachel were preparing a number for Mr. Schue after school. He was a little annoyed with the neurotic girl for making him stay at school late on a Friday, but he knew that he probably wouldn't be doing anything more interesting at home.

After an hour, exhausted, he excused himself to freshen up in the men's room. Kurt didn't expect to hear muffled sobs when he walked in.

"Hello?" he called, but got no response. "Is someone in here?"

The other person must have heard him and been embarrassed, because the toilet flushed and the door clicked open. Suddenly, Kurt was face to face with Blaine, who looked much worse for the wear.

"_Blaine?_" he signed and spoke. _ "What happened?"_

_It's nothing,_ Blaine signed back, turning to wash his red, tear-streaked face in the sink.

_"No,"_ Kurt insisted. _"I know something's wrong."_ He was cursing his limited sign vocabulary, wishing he could ask Blaine all the questions that had sprung to the forefront of his mind. He quickly sent Rachel a text informing her that he wouldn't return.

"_Please let me help you,_" Kurt begged when Blaine looked up.

Blaine's expression softened and he reluctantly nodded before grabbing Kurt's hand and leading him out of the bathroom and down the hall.

Kurt looked positively murderous when his gaze fell on the word scrawled on Blaine's locker. "That's IT!" he shouted, to himself more than anything. He was frustrated with all of the crap that both he and Blaine were subjected to daily, but this had gone too far. Not only was that an offensive word, but it wasn't even true.

"Come with me," he said clearly before grabbing Blaine's hand and dragging him through the halls.

* * *

Sue Sylvester was packing up her things and making sure that all her alarms were turned on so the trophy case was secure for the weekend when she heard an impatient rapping at her door.

"What?" she barked, flinging it open.

Before her stood Porcelain and the quiet new kid. Both she and the boy looked confused, while Kurt just looked furious.

"Porcelain, although I usually condone vengeful rampages, I don't recall doing anything to your glee club this week," Sue said.

"It's not that, coach. It's about the bullying that takes place at this school."

"Porcelain," Sue sighed, "you know I've already done everything in my power about the Karofsky kid-"

"It's not him this time. Well, maybe it is, but it's very different. May we come in?"

Sue let the two boys into her office and sat behind her desk to look at them. She was a bit surprised when Kurt pulled out a notebook and began writing before passing it to the curly haired kid.

_This is Coach Sylvester. She's usually the one bullying the glee club, but she's also fiercely protective and doesn't tolerate anyone being a bigger bully than her. Plus, her sister and her favorite student both have Down's._

_Kurt, although I appreciate this, I don't think you quite remember why I got so mad at Finn the other day. I __don't__ have some disability, especially not one like Down's._

_I know. That's exactly why Coach is the one to help us. She doesn't tolerate anyone making fun of Becky or using the R-word. Especially if they are using it in such a context as the guys who wrote it on your locker are._

"May I ask what is going on here and why you are passing notes like third grade girls?" Sue interrupted roughly.

"Sorry, coach, I just had to explain to Blaine why we're here," Kurt said. "Blaine's Deaf."

Sue's eyes widened in surprise.

"The rest of the school recently found out, and they've started giving Blaine grief about it. He was insisting on ignoring it, but today... Well, I think you should see for yourself."

Sue followed Kurt and Blaine as they walked to his locker. When she saw the word that permanently marred the surface, she, too, looked ready to kill. In her case, she might actually shed some blood.

"I thought you'd be the best to help, coach, seeing as you had to help your sister deal with teasing like this," Kurt explained in a small voice.

Sue's expression softened when she turned back to the boys. "Thank you for showing me this Porcelain. Young Burt Reynolds," she said, addressing Blaine clearly and slowly, "don't worry. I'll take care of this and make sure that they don't say this to you again."

Blaine nodded in recognition and raised his hands to sign his thanks to her.

* * *

During fifth period on Monday, the entire school was called to the gym for a last minute assembly. Blaine managed to find Kurt, Sam, and the other New Directions in the crowd and he sat with them.

Assemblies were always pretty pointless for him. He never had any idea of what was going on. The speaker was usually too far away and talking too quickly for Blaine to be able to read their lips, so he usually just took the opportunity to nap. This assembly was no different.

To Sam, Kurt, and the New Directions, however, it was a welcome assembly. Unlike other rules that the school had tried enforcing, this one had backing from the state and various outside organizations. Sue had threatened to publicly expose the bullying in the halls of McKinley on her TV news segment if Figgins did nothing to stop it, so actual results were happening.

Although many students had guesses as to what had prompted this sudden anti-bullying campaign of Sue's, very few were privy to inside knowledge. By Monday morning, the graffiti had been washed from Blaine's locker and it looked good as new with a fresh coat of paint. Only the teachers, staff, and New Directions knew that Blaine and Kurt had inspired this.

Sue outlined for the entire school what consisted of discriminatory bullying. Although she knew that there was no way the violence would stop, she hoped that it would at least be reduced significantly. Any physical violence - inclusing slushie attacks - were now punishable by suspension. Derogatory and offensive language could result in expulsion.

Students whispered mutinously amongst themselves as the new, harsher rules were outlined. Sure, none of them wanted to be bullied, but they also didn't want to lose their football team - which likely would happen if the rules were actually enforced since the football players were the most common tormentors.

After the assembly, Sue found Blaine and the glee kids. With practiced motions, she signed, _I hope you'll feel safer here, Young Burt Reynolds._

Blaine smiled at her and nodded his thanks.


	8. Chapter 8

Things quieted down at McKinley after Sue's assembly. Sure, Kurt still sometimes got slammed into lockers and Blaine was slipped the occasional rude note, but it was infrequent at best. Slushies were no longer a source of fear in the halls.

Blaine loved spending time with his new friends. He found himself at Sam, Artie, Puck, or Mike's house almost every Friday night for video game marathons with the guys followed by Saturday trips to the mall with Kurt and the girls. His wardrobe benefitted much more than his sleeping habits.

He even found time between glee club, video games, shopping, and homework to pull a few books off of his shelf that he hadn't touched in years.

When Christmas break arrived, Blaine's parents sat him down for a talk. He knew it had to be serious if his father was joining his mother. Then man had generally tried to avoid Blaine since he came out a year ago.

_We want to talk to you about a ... potential gift,_ Mrs. Anderson signed.

Blaine raised his eyebrows.

_Your father and I have been talking with Grandpa Anderson and the insurance agency. With your grandfather's assistance and the new plan that your father's promotion allows for, we can afford the cochlear implants. If you still want them, of course._

Blaine's jaw dropped. Years ago, he'd been to a specialist who had approved him for the implants. At the time, Blaine had desperately wanted them so he could be more like his peers, but they didn't have enough money for the expensive surgery.

_We want this to be your decision, honey. Don't feel obligated to do anything unless you want to, Mrs. Anderson added._

_Can I have some time to think?_ Blaine asked, hands shaking as he signed.

_Of course, honey. Take all the time you need._

* * *

Blaine left the house a little while later. He needed to clear his head, which was difficult for someone who was constantly trapped inside his own mind.

He drove aimlessly for a while before finding himself outside Kurt and Finn's house. He was greeted by Finn's mother when he knocked on the door, and she must have announced his presence a bit too loudly because suddenly Sam and Finn were behind her.

_"I didn't know you were coming,"_ Sam said to Blaine.

_Me neither. I need to stop thinking for a while._

_"Perfect. We're playing G-e-a-r-s o-f W-a-r. Want to join?"_

Blaine nodded and followed his classmated to the living room where they joined Puck in front of the TV.

Violently killing digital enemies worked amazingly to clear Blaine's mind. He wasn't even aware of how long he'd been there when Carole was tapping his shoulder.

"Sweetie, your mother wants to know when you'll be home," she said slowly.

Blaine looked down at his phone and was shocked to see that it was already 6:15 and he had 5 missed texts from his mother. Carole seemingly sensed his panic.

"It's okay, Blaine, we love having you here," she said calmly. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

Blaine looked to Finn, Sam, and Puck's nodding heads for approval before nodding to Carole in assent.

"Alright. I'll tell your mom. You boys can get back to your game."

They continued playing a bit longer as the aroma of Carole's famous lasagne wafted into the room. Just as it seemed like dinner was about to begin, Kurt returned home. He started complaining to Finn about the latest Rachel drama - the on-again, off-again couple was off-again, and Rachel was complaining to Kurt about it - and Blaine tuned out since he couldn't keep up with the lip reading and the game was paused. He ended up curled into himself in the corner of the couch.

"Blaine, you still here?" Sam asked, waving his hand in front of Blaine's eyes instead of signing.

_Yeah_, he replied after shaking himself out of his daze. _Just thinking._

_About what?_

_Hearing._

_"Hearing?_" Sam asked out loud, catching the attention of the others in the room. _Why_?

_What's it like?_

Finn and Puck realized that this was a more intimate conversation that was probably best for just Blaine and his two best friends, so they left the room to help Carole set the table. Kurt and Sam shared a look before both beginning to write, trying to explain something as ineffable and often taken for granted as one of the senses.

_It's hard to explain_, Kurt wrote on behalf of both boys. _You know how when someone asks you what a new food tastes like, you explain it in terms of food they're already familiar with? That's what I'm going to try to do here. Hearing music is, to me, like breathing. It's like eating every one of my favorite foods cooked to perfection. That's how it is to hear my family, too, especially when they say they love me. Hearing people in a large group talk, in general, is like reading twenty books at one time while jumping on one foot. It's loud, but sometimes when noises get too loud, everything dulls and mellows out and then you get almost tired. When it's quiet, there's always still a small noise - footsteps, creaking floorboards, something - and it's almost like something small is poking you each time one of the noises sneaks up on you. And when you're listening to soft music or one person's soothing voice, it's like wrapping up in a warm blanket with a cup of tea._

Blaine almost had tears in his eyes when he finished reading.

_"Why now?"_ Kurt tentatively asked.

_My parents told me that we can afford the Cochlear Implants now._

_"What?"_ both Sam and Kurt asked.

Blaine picked up the pencil and wrote, _Cochlear Impant. It's a device that they'd surgically insert near my ears._

_"What does it do?_" Kurt asked almost reverentially.

_If they work, I could hear. I just don't know if I want to._

* * *

For the rest of the evening, the three boys avoided the topic altogether. Blaine left immediately following the meal and told his mother that he wasn't sure about the surgery when he got home. He wanted to wait out the rest of the school year at least.

He could see something in his parents' eyes that almost looked like disappointment, like they had wanted him to get the implants. It probably would make their lives much easier. But he couldn't help but think that getting the surgery would be him throwing away a huge part of his life. And he wasn't sure that he wanted that to happen.

* * *

**Notes**: I am not advocating for or against Cochlear implants here. I know that there is controversy surrounding them within and without the Deaf culture, and I haven't seen many fics that deal with a character rejecting implants, so I thought I'd bring that side of the issue to light. (Of course, there also aren't that many Glee Deaf character fics...)


	9. Chapter 9

Early in February, Blaine walked into history class with a determined yet worried expression on his face.

_I think I have a problem,_ he signed.

_What?_

_I think I like Kurt._

Sam laughed so hard that Blaine could feel the vibrations from his hands hitting the desk and his feet slapping the floor. _Really? You're __just__ figuring this out now?_

_Am I that obvious?_

_You both are._

Blaine pinked at the comment. _You think he likes me too?_

_Blaine, I __know__ he does. It's physically painful to try to walk through the sexual tension between you two._

Blaine's blush grew even deeper. _Can you help me then?_

_Of course, dude. That's what Blam does!_

* * *

After glee, Sam joined Blaine at his house to brainstorm ideas for how to woo Kurt. After much persuasion, Sam finally convinced Blaine that the best way to Kurt's heart was through song. They spent hours looking through songs online, trying to find the perfect song for Kurt. Blaine didn't stumble upon it until hours after Sam had left.

He spent the next week transposing the song and practicing it over and over, until his mother told him that she was sick of hearing it. He finally felt ready.

It was a Monday, and Mr. Schuester came into the choir room with a bounce in his step. "Alright guys," he said, clapping his hands together. "Love song week!"

Blaine's hand tentatively went into the air as the students around him muttered about the theme.

"Blaine?" Mr. Schuester asked. All gazes fell on him in surprise.

Blaine had to kick Sam's chair to remind the blonde boy to speak. "Oh, right! Blaine's prepared a song to play for this week if it's alright," Sam said quickly.

"Great. Come on up, Blaine," Mr. Schuester said, clearly just as curious as the rest of his students.

Blaine nervously walked to the piano and situated himself on the bench. Sam gave him an encouraging thumbs up, but Blaine could only focus on Kurt's eyes. Taking a deep breath, he positioned his hands and began to play.

There was a ripple of recognition throughout the room as the notes of the popular song poured from the piano, sounding softer, slower, and more romantic than the original version. Blaine looked up a few times throughout the song to catch Kurt's eye and gauge his reaction.

When he finished, the entire club gave him a silent signed round of applause.

"Wow," Santana commented, "I did not know Katy Perry could sound like that."

Blaine was shaking with nerves as he went back to his seat between Kurt and Sam. Kurt leaned over and signed, _Want to get coffee after?_

_Sure._

* * *

Kurt brought the coffees over to the table where Blaine was silently fretting.

_You okay?_ Kurt asked when he noticed Blaine's shifty demeanor.

_Yeah - no - I mean, I'm nervous._

_Why?_

_I need to tell you something, Kurt. Maybe I should ... yeah, I should probably write this down._

Blaine pulled out his pen to write before passing his notebook to Kurt.

_I don't really know how to say this. I mean, you're the best friend I've ever had, Kurt. Sam's great and all, but you just get me on a deeper level, and it's really amazing. And I love spending time with you, whatever it is. Even if you're not talking to me or paying attention to me, I'm always happier when I'm around you. And I just realized the other day that I've liked you since practically the moment I first met you. You make me feel special and normal at the same time. It's never about my hearing. It's always about us. I really, really like you, Kurt, and that's why I played that song for you... because the lyrics were true, too. You __do__ make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream._

Kurt looked stunned when he looked up from Blaine's note. Blaine interpreted his silence in the worst way possible, and quickly gathered his things.

_I'll just go_, he signed hastily.

He tried to get up to leave, but there was a hand on his arm.

_Why?_ Kurt asked.

_Didn't I just make a complete ass of myself?_

_No. That was sweet, Blaine. And ... I have feelings for you too. Probably since the first moment I laid eyes on you. And then I got to know you, and it grew._

A huge grin broke out on Blaine's face and Kurt felt a sense of pride to know that he had put it there.

_Do you maybe want to go out with me? _Blaine signed. _Like on a real date?_

_I'd love that._

They stayed at the Lima Bean for a while longer, talking about nothing important. As they were getting up to leave, Kurt hesitated before passing the notebook to Blaine.

_Can I keep this page? _he asked, indicating the page that Blaine had scribbled his confession on.

_...Sure. Why?_

_No one's ever said anything like that to me before. I want to remember._

* * *

The date was absolutely perfect. Kurt chose the restaurant of course, a small Vietnamese place about 20 minutes outside of Lima.

_I figure this is perfect - great food you can't find in L-i-m-a and we don't have to worry about seeing kids from school,_ he'd explained.

Blaine was in charge of all the planning after that. He ended up leading Kurt to a small bowling alley nearby.

Kurt looked dubiously at Blaine as he was handed his bowling shoes.

_They clean them after each use,_ Blaine pointed out.

_It's still disgusting._

_But it's fun!_

Kurt found that he couldn't say no to the eager and excited look on Blaine's face, so he reluctantly pulled the shoes on over his socked feet.

_I'm going to have to throw these away now!_

_Stop being so overdramatic._

_It's in my nature. I can't just turn it off!_

Blaine laughed, and an audible chuckle even escaped his lips. Kurt couldn't help but appreciate the sound.

They played two rounds, both of which Blaine won by a large margin.

_You couldn't have taken pity on me at all?_ Kurt asked as they walked. He was sorry that he had to drop Blaine's hand to talk to him, but lip reading definitely wasn't an option in the dark.

_What would be the fun in that?_

_How did you get so good at bowling anyway?_

_Magic._

Kurt laughed. _No, really._

_I guess I can just sense where the ball needs to fall better than you._

_Oh. That actually makes a lot of sense._

Blaine stopped for a moment and turned to face Kurt.

_Can I kiss you?_

_Here?_ Kurt asked, looking around at the few other people walking through the parking lot.

Why not? No one's close enough to see.

Okay.

Blaine grinned and leaned in to Kurt. Their lips met for a moment and broke apart, before crashing together again with a bit more force.

_Thank you,_ Kurt signed when they finally reached Blaine's car.


	10. Chapter 10

Blaine and Kurt had been blissfully dating for two weeks when he decided that he needed to buckle down on his "extracurricular" work. After school one day, while his mom was reading in the living room, Blaine decided that he'd need her help if he was ever going to succeed.

He went downstairs and stood in the doorway to the living room, wondering how best to alert his mother to his presence, how to not scare her. A thought occurred to him and he smiled and took it in stride.

"Mom."

"Yes sweetie?" Mrs. Anderson said absentmindedly.

Blaine couldn't hear her words, but he could see her reflection in the television screen and read her posture. She was relaxed for a moment longer, then froze, tensing, slowly lowering the book and turning to Blaine.

_Blaine?_ she signed.

"Mom," he repeated out loud. It was the only word he was confident in speaking even though he had been practicing for the last few months. Ever since he met Kurt almost. _Can you help me?_

_What do you need, honey?_

_I've been reading the books from the speech therapist and practicing. But I don't know how I sound or anything, and I don't want to make a fool of myself. Do you think that maybe you could teach me?_

_Oh, sweetie, of course!_

Blaine ran back to his room to get the books and then took a seat next to his mother on the couch. They slowly began reading aloud, starting with simple words and then moving on to more syllables.

"Worl."

_No, no - you're still dropping the end of most words. Make sure you get the D sound,_ his mother instructed, repeating "Duh" a few times aloud so he could see how it should look.

"W-worldd," he said shakily.

She smiled proudly. _Perfect_.

_Really? It doesn't sound like a five yeard old with a lisp or anything?_

_Well, of course it sounds different, honey, but you'll get used to it. It just takes time. Want to try more or shall we end for today?_

"Mare!"

_Long O, Blaine, like this:_ "oo," Mrs. Anderson corrected gently.

"More."

* * *

Blaine didn't tell anyone at school about his extra lessons with his mother after school, especially not Kurt. He wanted it to be a surprise for his boyfriend. But they did notice a change in him. He allowed himself to laugh aloud more and make small noises and grunts in conversation. The first time Blaine's laugh had rung out in Sam's den while they were playing video games with the other glee boys, everyone had been so stunned at the sound of Blaine that they'd stopped playing and Blaine had managed to kill them all. They never made that mistake again.

* * *

"I ... I ha-hop to see you sone?" Blaine said tentatively.

His mother winced a little, but quickly schooled her features. _ You had most of it. 'Hope' has a long O sound in it so it sounds like hoe._ She repeated the word out loud, allowing Blaine to watch and feel her mouth. _And the Os in 'soon' almost sound like a U. Try again?_

"I hope to see you sune?"

_Closer. Try 'soon' again._

"Soon?"

_Perfect_.

"Soon. I hope to see you soon."

* * *

Blaine was integral - or so Mr. Schuester said - in the songwriting process for Regionals. Since they were writing their own, original songs, Blaine was sure he would be able to play them easily for the competition. He also knew the most about music theory and composition, as that had been a huge part of the process of teaching him piano. As the New Directions wrote the lyrics, they explained to him and Brad what kind of tone and sound they were looking for. The two musicians then messed around on the piano for a while until they came up with something that felt right.

Blaine felt a little overwhelmed as he attempted to write two original songs and learn to speak, but he knew it would all be worth it when the New Directions advanced to New York and nationals.

Simply based on how the other performances looked, Blaine knew that the New Directions were going to win. His suspicions were proved correct when they were announced as the winners. This time, Blaine was standing on stage with the rest of his team, and he smiled proudly as they all rushed to touch the trophy.

As soon as they were safely backstage, Blaine pulled Kurt into a deep kiss of congratulations.

* * *

"If I can larn to tawk, I don't want the ..." Blaine didn't want to even try to attempt to pronounce the words, so he finished his sentence in signs,_ cochlear implants._

_Make sure you accentuate the "E" sound in learn rather than so much "A", _Mrs. Anderson responded. She paused for a moment as she let the rest of Blaine's statement sink in. _Why?_

_Because I don't think I'm broken, so why fix me? Plus, if I can talk out loud, then I can communicate well enough._

_Okay. Like I said, honey, it's your decision. We just want whatever's going to be easiest for you._

* * *

"Kuh - Kay ... Kay u - yur tuh," Blaine said, sounding out the letters individually before trying to piece them together. This was the most important word he could ever learn.

"Kayurt," he said again, emphasizing the T as much as possible. "Kayurt."

_It's not "kay" Blaine - it's "kuh,"_ Mrs. Anderson explained, mouthing the syllables.

"Kuh - urt?" Blaine asked. Mrs. Anderson nodded in approval. "Kuh-urt. Kurt. Kurt."

* * *

Blaine knew his speaking skills left much to be desired, but he found that once he got past the first few hurdles, it was actually much easier than expected. It wasn't like he had to learn a new language - he already knew English and grammar. He just had to learn to pronounce it.

Spending so much time around singers was turning out to be the perfect way to learn. They were constantly warming up their vocal chords with tongue twisters and other warm-ups. Blaine mouthed along to them where no one could see and practiced them out loud at home.

He was confident in his plan as he followed Kurt on to the airplane to head off to New York.

_I'm so excited!_ Kurt said, hands moving quickly. _New York is my dream!_

_I know, Kurt. You've mentioned that a few times before._

_Well, you can't blame me! I get to go to the city of my dreams with my amazing boyfriend. Why shouldn't I be this enthusiastic?_

_I'm not saying that you shouldn't be. I think it's adorable. I think you're adorable._

_Shut up, you're making me blush._

* * *

All of the New Directions except Blaine went down to the hotel's gym to practice choreography for the competition. He declined watching them in favor of getting some of his own practicing in before he planned to surprise Kurt.

He stood in front of the bathroom mirror and began speaking. "Kurt. New York. Blaine. Kurt Hummel. Love."

He didn't hear the room door open, obviously, as he began attempting one of Rachel's tongue twisters.

"Irish ristchwash - no, wrist watch. Irish. Wrist. Watch. Irish. Wrist. Watch. Irish -"

The bathroom door opened. Blaine clamped him mouth closed and turned around in fear, only to find himself face to face with his best friend.

_Sam_, he signed guiltily.

_What were you just doing, Blaine?_

_Nothing._

_Really? You're going to try that? I could hear you._

_I've just been trying to teach myself to talk for a while. Did it sound awful?_

_No, you sounded perfect! A little loud, maybe, but totally clear._

Blaine grinned at the praise. _Please don't tell anyone? I wanted Kurt to be the first to know._

_Of course, man. One condition, though._

_What?_

_Can you say something now?_

_Like what?_

_I don't know. My name?_

Blaine raised his eyebrows, but nodded his head. "S-sam."

A huge grin broke out on Sam's face. _Wow, dude, that was awesome! Kurt's going to freak out!_

_You don't think he'll be mad?_

_No way. This is like, super romantic! He'll eat it up._

_Thanks, Sam._

* * *

Blaine wasn't nearly as disappointed as the rest of his classmates when they didn't break into the top 10 at nationals. He was simply thrilled to be there, to be included in such an amazing group of people. He was also incredibly excited for what the group was planning to do on their last night in the city.

"Okay guys, I know that you're disappointed that we didn't do better, but I'm so proud of all of you!" Mr. Schuester said to the gathered New Directions. "We also had a bit of extra money, thanks to the plane tickets that Terri got for us, so I have a surprise for all of you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handful of tickets. "We're going to Wicked tonight!"

Rachel jumped up and screamed in delight while Kurt leaned over and kissed Blaine in excitement. Blaine smiled gently at all the happy faces of his friends - even Puck seemed excited - but he couldn't help but feel left out. He could watch TV shows and movies with subtitles, but a live show - even one he knows as well as Wicked thanks to Kurt - is impossible for a deaf person unless there's an interpreter present.

The same thought seemed to strike Kurt at the same moment. "What about Blaine?" he asked Mr. Schuester.

Everyone quieted down and looked guiltily at the boy. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that he was deaf.

"Well, that's the best part," Mr. Schuester said, not noticing the drop in enthusiasm in the room. "I called ahead and explained the situation to the box office. They don't have an ASL interpreter, but they do have this thing called i-caption. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but it's a little device that basically functions as subtitles for the show, but from your hands!"

Blaine was shocked, and more than a little emotional. He was actually going to see a show on Broadway!

* * *

The return to Lima was a let down for everyone who had been to New York, but perhaps none moreso than to Blaine and Kurt. In just a few days, they had gotten so used to being able to be outwardly affectionate in public, and now they were back in the oppressively homophobic city of Lima.

Blaine was still holding on to the last dredges of adrenaline from the experience that was New York as he sat down across from Kurt at the Lima Bean. Kurt was signing something about plans with Rachel for next year when Blaine decided he couldn't wait a moment longer.

_Wait_, he signed, placing a gentle hand on Kurt's.

"Kurt," he said. Kurt gasped and looked up, catching Blaine's eyes. "I love you."

Kurt peeled his hand out from underneath Blaine's and folded down his ring and middle fingers. _I love you._ Tears beaded at the corners of both boy's eyes as they simply stared at each other.


End file.
